Classes are a great way to drink and learn

Sally and I attended a wine and cheese pairing class at Village Vino this week. I'm pretty sure I'd flunk a test on what was taught, but our experience was proof that classes can be a fun way to learn a few new things, meet cool people, and drink great wine.

Our class was facilitated by Village Vino's own Rita Pirkl and cheese expert Mary Palmer. We tasted eight wine and cheese pairings, and were seated at a table with seven other participants so we could discuss our reactions to each one. 

Here were the pairings:

• NV Villa Sandi Prosecco paired with Brillat Savarin
• NV Over the Moon Sparking Pinot Noir paired with Ewephoria
• 2011 Domaine Girault Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc) paired with Bucheron
• 2011 Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc paired with Chabrin
• 2010 Copain "Tous Ensemble" Pinot Noir paired with Zamorano
• 2010 Cervantes Mt. Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon paired with Fiscalini 18-month bandaged cheddar
• NV Nierport 10yr Tawny Port paired with 5yr vintage Gouda
• NV Quinta do Noval "Black" Ruby Port paired with Bleu de Auvergne

They were all expertly paired, and I did manage to learn a few things. For example, hard cheese generally works better with reds while softer cheeses generally pair better with white. And, there are actually some really good cheese and port pairings!

More important, our experience was a great reminder that classes can be a lot of fun. If you are in San Diego, check out Village Vino's advanced wine and cheese pairing class on January 22. 

Talk to someone at your local wine shop or wine bar if you'd like to know more about classes in your area. There are also a lot of email newsletters that advertise local wine events. In San Diego, we're big fans of The Juice.

Wine and cheese pairing at Village Vino on January 15

More Perfect Thanksgiving Wines Under $20

Thanksgiving is a great time to share wine with family and friends. Whether pairing with your Thanksgiving feast, or washing down the leftovers while you take in some football, there’s something for everyone!

Turkey is typically paired with a dry white wine, but there are a variety of wines that pair well with a full feast (turkey, ham, and a wide range of sides).  Last year we shared a few of our favorite varietals under $20 (check out the full list) to share on Thanksgiving Day.  Here are more recommendations, all of which are also under $20 and can be found in your local supermarket, liquor store, or wine shop. 

Sparkling

A sparkling wine is a great pairing with any festive occasion.  This is a good starter as guests are arriving, or paired with the meal.  If serving with dinner, the key is to select a brut.  Dry sparkling wines pair much nicer with a turkey feast.  Our choice is Roederer Estate Brut.  A very balanced sparkling, with notes of floral, tree fruit, and light spice.  It scored 91 points from Wine Spectator, and retails at BevMo for $18.99

 

Sauvignon Blanc

If serving a white, you want to select a wine that is refreshing, tangy, and fruity. Sauvignon Blanc fits this bill perfectly as it is light and crisp, with grassy or herbaceous flavors.  Our pick is Simi Sauvignon Blanc.  It is bright and clear in color, medium-bodied with refreshing flavors of green apple and nectarines.  It is currently retailing at BevMo for $8.99 (a bargain!).  

Pinot Noir

The trick with reds is to select one that is not too tart or high in tannins (sorry cab lovers, today is not your day).  Light-bodied, more fruit forward pinot noirs pair nicely with a traditional Thanksgiving feast.  One of our favorite under $20 wine is Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir.  This is an easy drinker, appealing to many.  Lots of red fruit flavors that pairs well with a variety of food.  It is currently retailing at BevMo for $9.99. 

Zinfandel

This is an excellent medium-bodied red with lots of intense, plummy, jammy flavors with splash of pepper.  Some of you may be familiar with Folie a Deux for their red table wine, Menage a Trois.  They also make a tasty Zinfandel.  This is a well-rounded, textured, juicy red wine.  It retails at BevMo for $12.99.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Two new shared bottles we really really like

Sally and I hit the jackpot this weekend with two dinner invitations from friends who share our passion for great wine. We firmly believe that shared bottles are the best bottles and lucky for us, they do too. And, as luck would have it, we discovered an amazing new wine at each dinner.

On Friday, we dined with our friends Gaby and Steve. They have turned us on to a lot of wonderful wineries over the years including Herman Story (see "Herman Story - a winery you need to know"). This time, they shared a bottle of 2007 McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth, which is a GSM blend of 70% Syrah, 24% Grenache, and 6% Mourvedre. It's silky smooth with substantially more body and deeper, darker flavors than you'd expect out of this type of blend.

McPrice Myers runs Barrel 27, which used to be a collaboration between McPrice Myers and Russell From, until From left in 2011 to focus full time on his own label, Herman Story. Yes, the circle of (wine) life is complete.

On Saturday, we visited our friends Karin and Jeff. Like us, they enjoy a wide range of varietals. Lamb shank was on the menu, which pairs well with Pinot Noir or Syrah, so they generously provided both options. One of the wines they served was a 2009 Seufert "Johan Vineyard" Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. It was an excellent example of Oregon Pinot: good earth tones, bright but subtle fruit characteristics, and light bodied but bold enough to pair very well with food. Needless to say, we were all disappointed when the bottle was finally empty.

This really is the best way to discover great wine - make friends with good, generous people who will share a bottle of their good stuff with you and then try to score a dinner invitation. 

Wild Horse – 2008 Unbridled Arroyo Grande Pinot Noir

On our trip to Paso Robles last year, we had a great tasting experience at Wild Horse.  While they produce a wide range of wines, they are best known for their Pinot Noir.  The day of our visit they had five on the tasting list ~ their widely distributed pinot, along with selections from their unbridled and cheval collections.  Zach, our host, provided us with a very cool tasting experience.  He lined up five glasses, and we tasted them all side by side.  They were all quite good, but our two favorites were from the Unbridled series ~ the 2008 Bien Nacido Vineyard and the 2008 Arroyo Grande.  Of course, we brought some home.

This weekend, we shared our 2008 Unbridled Arroyo Grande Pinot Noir with Jeff’s parents.  The wine has stayed very true to our original tasting notes.  It is a traditional California Pinot Noir with a wonderful balance of fruit and earthiness, both on the nose and in taste.  It is more fruit forward with hints of blackberry and a little dark cherry.  The finish is exceptionally smooth. 

The one problem with this wine… they produced only 400 cases, and we purchased only 2 bottles. 

How Much Would You Pay for a Good Pinot Noir?

Jeff thinks this barrel has a great QPRA friend of ours has a great metric, quality price ratio (QPR), meaning the price of the bottle is worth the quality of wine.  On a recent trip to the Dundee Hills region of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, we tasted several enjoyable pinot noirs, but there were few we thought met the QPR threshold for purchase. 

When tasting Pinot Noir, it has to be something pretty amazing for us to consider paying north of $40 for a bottle.  Using that as a benchmark, here’s a summary of wines we liked, and where they fell on our QPR scale. 

Low QPR ~ liked, but a little too “proud”
Archery Summit – ’09 Renegade Ridge Estate ($85)
Deep color, darker red fruits with a dirt earth finish.  We could taste the lamb.  Little tart at start, would benefit from aging 3-5 years.

Erath – ’09 Knight’s Gambit Vineyard ($50)
Full berry nose, more complex pinot with tart fruit tastes and dirt finish.  Unique, bolder, pinot noir

Witness Tree – ’08 Claim 51 ($48)
Darker in color, smells of bright red fruits, blueberries with a little smoke, spicy finish with hints of cinnamon.   Can taste the new oak. Would also benefit from 3-5 years of aging.

Great QPR ~ priced right for the taste
St. Innocent – ’10 Temperance Hill Vineyard ($32)
Smokey nose, dark cherry fruit and touch of spice, with an earthy, well balanced finish.  Will pair well with grilled meats.

Redhawk – ’10 Estate ($22)
Sweet red berry aromas, with earthy raspberry and blueberry flavors.  Bright acidity and firm tannins, this wine will age well. 

Check out other blog posts on Pinot’s we’ve enjoyed with great QPRs:

Barrel Fence
Erath
Cycles Gladiator
Signaterra
Sean Minor

We want to know ~ How much would you pay for a Pinot Noir?